Fraudulent Realities
by thecolorwhite
Summary: In a dark future, Hyuuga Neji wakes up...
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

A dark spin to the otherwise happy tale of Naruto. Hope all of you enjoy reading this as much as I did thinking up of the idea. Please review, so I can make the future chapters better

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Fraudulent Realities 

Prologue

_He was eating again. This same yellowish strands... what were they? No, it was not him who ate; it was that boy – blond hair and blue eyes, what was his name?_

_Other pictures blurred by that steaming bowl of... what was it? Sunlight all around him, leaves falling – green leafs! And beyond the green canopy of leaves he could see birds in flight. Without realizing, he began to count them._

_One, the bird in flight spiraled on – the smiling image of a girl with chocolate hair._

_Two, another erupted from its cover - he knew that girl, grace hiding deadly metal._

_Three, more birds – What was her name?_

_Four, an avian eruption – Another face, another girl, of windy temperament._

_Five, feathered flight – He knew this new girl too, although not as well._

_Six, a white, soaring blur – Other faces, also familiar_

_Seven, a lazy midair spiral – One of shadows, one of similar eyes._

_Again, the laughing blued eyed boy swam into view, this time talking to another, dark hair and eyes that bled vengeance. Who were they? And he knew, as he always did, that with the eighth bird, answers would emerge, bursting into the sunlight. The long sought Truth. Senses prickling, he channeled all his energy into one last burst of heightened awareness._

_There!_

_Eight, a lone bird in a lonelier sky. Reaching out his had, he grasped the images, now finally within his reach..._

Hyuuga Neji, prodigy of the branch house, awoke to a sharp and maddening pain in his lower spine. Sweat covered his heaving body as his senses came back in full force. He had been dreaming again, that same dream for so many days, the same ending waking him in this painful state. It would subside, he knew. But even as the his breathing once again became regular, the unsettling knowledge that something , somehow was terribly wrong, left a gaping pit of doubt. He had been so close, the answer just grasped and then forcibly ripped away, just as it has been for the past few nights. His usually neutral expression creased into a frown – what was the significance of this dream, and why the intense pain?

Absent mindedly, he scratched at his lower back, hoping that some bump or other imperfection would give the indication of something, anything. His fingers brushed smooth and unbroken flesh.

Further ruminations were interrupted by a buzz from his dispatch unit. The device was nailed to the wall of his small room, the harsh grey metal glaringly in contrast with the softer tones of Japanese furnishing. Following the Ascent, the Hokage had discovered amazing new ways of utilizing chakra, and this device was amongst the first of many innovations. By channeling chakra into the object and using a variant of the Shintenshin no Jutsu, the dispatch unit was able to provide instantaneous communication throughout Konoha. As with everything else, the dispatch unit bore the signet of Konoha, a leaf represented an intricate swirl and triangle. The detail of the signet was such that what seemed as simple lines almost looked alive. In fact, Neji had always maintained that the lines seemed oddly serpentine at times.

Sighing, Neji rose from his bed and hurriedly donned some clothes, for the dispatch unit projected both voice as well as image. More than once, he had wandered about the true purpose of the dispatch unit. A quick glance with his buyakugan had long since revealed a far greater amount of chakra in the device than required by a simple Shintenshin no Jutsu. Such thoughts were carefully brushed aside as he finally activated the unit with a simple hand seal.

"Neji reporting"

Chakra surged out from the device and formed the hazy image of the Hokage, his face as ever, shaded by his hat.

"Neji-san, as you are aware, the recent attacks by rebel forces have resulted in several key ninjas dying in battle. As such, your application for special jounin status has just been approved. Proceed to the administration building to get details on your first mission. I wish you success in our efforts against the rebels who seek to undermine our social cohesion." The image faded, and was borne away by a hot gust of wind from Neji's open window.

Finally, he thought, mentally saying good bye to training genins at the academy. This was not to say that they lacked ability – in fact, he had trained incredibly talented shinobi in his tenor as a sensei. However, the sheer tenacity and rabid patriotism of the current cohorts simply unnerved him. In the wake of the Ascent, the Hokage had initiated a new program to be run co-currently with started shinobi training. Called "Aesthetics" it was run exclusively by the Anbu to "celebrate the culture of Konoha". They even had sessions for Chunins and Jounins. Despite all his colleagues exclaiming how good these sessions were, Neji continuously declined. The steely eyed expressions it produced on his students shocked him, and glimpses of this same coldness in the expressions of his fellow jounins, have long since led the Huuyga to believe that the "Aesthetics" was not as innocent as it seemed. As he prepared a cold breakfast in the tiny kitchen of the apartment, Neji wondered if he had been as frightening during his genin days. As always, his memories of his genin-hood were hazy at best, almost as if essential parts of it were missing, leaving gaping holes. His pale face again was marred by another frown as he resolved to find out what those "Aesthetics" entailed and to make an appointment with the medical nins for some help with what seemed like a failing memory.

The dispatch unit suddenly blared to life with the daily reports of news around Konoha – unfortunately, unlike the messages from the Hokage, these could not be deactivated and Neji simply had to put up with them everyday. A string of reports about the war effort against the country of Rain rattled on about victories and statistics of territory gained. The commentator cheerily added that this has been the 50th consecutive successful effort by Konoha shinobi since the victory over (and consequent assimilation of) the sand nins. Key battles have also been won against the scattered rebel forces. Strangely, even though he wasn't consciously listening, Neji felt a surge of pride for his country and anger towards the treacherous traitors who endangered their own country. This sudden wave of emotions rose to a tremulous crescendo as he finally approached the door of the apartment. Grasping the door handle with firm resolve, Neji found himself pledging to eradicate the scummy rebels in his new post as a special Jounin. After a final check of equipment with bandaged hand, Neji strode confidently towards the streets of Konoha, resolved to work for the greater glory of this fine country.

Yet as the door closed behind him, his eyes, pale expanses of pure white, suddenly blinked. What was he thinking about before the dispatch unit had begun? Some gut feeling yelled that it had been terribly important. Rather confused, Neji glanced about the common hall outside his apartment, and the image of a faded poster was reflected in his eyes. Pasted on the wall between two doors, it depicted a regiment of shinobi running bravely against their enemies. Each bore the forehead protector of the Hidden Leaf. Shrugging whatever thoughts which he may have been thinking – how could they possibly be more important than service to Konoha? – 18 year old Huuyga Neji tightened his forehead protector over the mark of the branch house, and walked towards the exit.

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Well, how was it? Please review!


	2. Chapter one

Wow, i actually got to the first chapter! At any rate, thanks for all those who reviewed previously. Especially Vic since she doesn't even watch/read naruto. Special thanks also to Big Bird, upon whose comments i get encouragement and some useful critique - big thanks for being the first person to read my stuff, even though i am but a warty toad compared to you (what a terribly cheesy comparison, but hehe, its all this toad can manage).

As for the rest of you guys, thanks for reading and the comments, much appreciated. What is the Ascent you ask? Well read on for more intruige and mystery in (cue cheesy detective music) Fraudulent Realities, Chapter 1.

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Fraudulent Realities

Chapter one.

Compared to the soothing pale brow of his apartment, which was decorated in the typical Huuyga decor, Neji always found the streets of Konoha to be excessively noisy. By the time he had reached the streets, that strange wave of emotions had left him feeling drained and bewildered. What's more, his efforts at recollecting whatever important thoughts he had been mulling over have been completely futile. As such, the Hyuuga was considerably less courteous with the rank and file on the streets. Being one of the most powerful ninjas in the village, it suddenly struck Neji had how blank and empty the average ninja on the street seemed. Everyone walked around with a dazed expression. Faces that passed were blank and devoid of feelings. The poor unfortunates who got in his way were coldly brushed aside.

As he progressed towards the administration center, he could not help but marvel at the sprawl of city. That same rush of wonder and awe for Konoha again crept into Neji. Certainly, the city was quite a sight. Since the Ascent, Konoha had undergone immense structural improvements, and the new developments in chakra channeling had been integrated into everyday living. The first thing one would notice was the sheer altitude of the city. Gone were the days when the village was a messy affair on the ground – the first thing the Hokage had done after the Ascent was to elevate the entire village on a ring of seven immense pillars shaped from the bowels of the earth with enormous amounts of chakra. This was to protect the village from further conflict the high altitude became the first line of defense. The next distinct feature was the second part of the village's defense system – the giant chakra dome, Konoha's Absolute Defense. In a recent assault, the enemy from Hidden Mist had been completely stopped short by this dome, which stretched from the bases of the foundation pillars, all the way to the highest point of the city – the Hokage Tower. It was there which Neji now made his way to. At the tip of the tower, conducts constructed by the Hokage himself channeled chakra and dispensed it to power the dome. The amount of power was in such amounts that should a person be caught in any one of the beams powering the dome, he would immediately be disintegrated by the raw energy. The dome it self did not bear the same familiar hue of blue chakra that ninjas used. Instead, the blue was tinged with a strange dark reddish essence, causing the chakra barrier to glow a dark purple. Neji remember reading somewhere that the dome was a large scale barrier jutsu, akin to those used by barrier ninjas. With the dome however, chakra was instead supplied by the chakra well deep within the Hokage tower, which was said to contain vast amounts of replicating chakra. Although no one but the Hokage and his closest aides were allowed in those chambers, Neji was well acquainted with the untold amounts of chakra at Konoha's disposal – the prime weapon which the village employed to keep their enemies at bay.

In fact, one had to merely glance at the village within in dome to behold how powerful this chakra source was. Chakra was channeled through numerous smaller conducts to power special light jutsu to continuously brighten up the streets. For while the dome protected the village, it also blotted out most sunlight. Still, most ninjas have long since gotten used to the purplish hues of the village, and the continuous light jutsu ensured that Konoha was never asleep. Chakra conducts also powered public dispatch units placed at strategic intervals in the village. Every plot of available land was developed and built upon to create a vast sprawl of towering structures. Streets were built upon streets, buildings upon buildings - from where Neji was traveling, buildings rose like canyon walls on either side of him. The name village was merely a formality – Konoha was a city of powerful proportions, its population vastly increased by the assimilation of the nations of Wind and Sound into Fire.

For many, the village would have been an intimidating, harrowing experience, had it not been for the reassuring images of the Hokage, who's face was depicted in a generous amount of posters and banners everywhere. The image of the man, face shrouded in his head dress of office, provided a point of stability and familiarity for people. Many felt better by simply catching a glimpse of a poster or two.

Such were the marvels of the Ascent, made possible by the visionary man whose stern gaze was hung all over the city. This myriad farrago of wonders were reflected in the eyes of Neji, who despite having seen it many a time, paused for a moment to simply take in the sights. Still, a small part of him was feeling strangely... disturbed. As if he was beholding something utterly perverse and unnatural. A small part of him cringed when he glanced at one of the few trees left in the village of the leaf – the lack of sunlight having killed off most of them. This tree bore the same twisted and contorted limbs as those that remained, its branches clawing at a sky that would never again shed its light. The leaves all bore the same color of the dome, a dark purple that almost looked red in the glow from the chakra dome. A dark red that looked almost like blood...

For the second time that day, Neji was ripped away from his thoughts, this time because he had bumped into someone. Blinking back to reality, Neji realized that he had finally reached the administration building, located in the upper levels of the Hokage tower. The tree in question sat pitifully on one of the many balconies of the tower, so shriveled that the pot it was in dwarfed the plant itself. The person he had bumped into wore the garb of the newly reinstated police unit, and stood impassively beside the entrance to the admin levels. With uniform so crisp that it made Neji's own normally smart attire look shabby, the officer continued to gaze forward – eyes transfixed upon some imaginary target in the distance. It almost seemed as though the guard had not notice Neji at all.

"You must be more careful Neji-san.", the officer intoned in a deadpan voice. As robotic as he sounded, Neji detected a hint of familiarity. Looking at the officer closer, he was considerably taken aback when he recognized one of his former students.

"Konohamaru, good to see you again" Neji broke into a rare smile. While he detested whimsical greetings, this student was different. At first, as a boy Konohamaru had been lonely and alienated, especially since no one could remember any living relatives of his. The orphan hence relied on loud mischief to assert himself and gain him recognition. He remembered having to teach the over enthusiastic boy and watching him mellow over time. Konohamaru's bearing had always reminded him of someone, although he couldn't exactly place a name on that person. And here he was, the boy grown up, looking impressive in his police uniform and bearing the personal signet of the Hokage tattooed on his left arm. Certainly, times seemed to have passed well for Konohamaru.

"Neji sensei, do not waste the Hokage's time. Report to the admin office now." The cold, curt reply shocked Neji. It had been uttered without a twitch of facial muscles, leaving the face as expressive as a marble statue. Where was the loud mouth boy that he had thought? Where was the pervert who constantly performed the god awful sexy-no-jutsu? Could a person change so much in just a few years?

Trying a different approach, Neji strolled up to Konohamaru once again and gave a friendly nudge.

"Now, no need to be over zealous Konohamaru. It seems that you are really fulfilling your destiny for greatness, but don't take it all too seriously." Neji tried this with another smile (this time quite fake) plastered on his face. Surely Konohamaru would respond now.

Konohamaru's eyes flickered. It was only for a moment, but Neji's buyakugan, even deactivated, saw it all, and what he saw caused him to widen his eyes in alarm. Just for an instant, he saw a frightened and lonely boy. He saw someone whose entire being was laced with pain and confusion. Then he saw a spasm of sorts, barely noticeable, and the eyes were washed over in pain, the pupils contracting until finally, the eyes once again regained the expression of steel and focus. All this in the window of a few seconds, leaving Neji wondering and alarmed. What was wrong with Konohamaru?

"Neji-san, please, do not tarry any longer. The Hokage will be angry." Again that same monotone.

Left with no choice, Neji soothed away the turbulence in his mind, quietly reprimanding himself for being so worked up over something so insignificant. Konohamaru was no long his concern, and to worry over him was simply a waste of energy. Pushing mental distractions aside, Neji glanced once more at his former student, now with eyes that were as distant and cold as snowy mountains. A quick nod, and the Hyuuga stepped into the admin center.

The admin center had previously been where ninja missions were allocated, but since conflict with the village of hidden mist had erupted, it now acted as command post for Konoha's armies. When Neji entered the briefing room, he realized that the meeting had just begun, with the Hokage himself standing beside a large map, flanked by members of the anbu, his personal bodyguards. Inwardly, Neji was surprised at the seeming importance of this mission, as reflected by the persons in attendance. Besides the afore noted Hokage and his anbu escort, Neji spied the anbu captain himself standing in a darkened corner. He had once been a shinobi of the sand, but now served the Hokage with brutal efficiency – the name Gaara was whispered in hushed tones for good reason. Present too was the head of the Hyuuga clan, Hyuuga Hisashi, Neji's uncle. Recently having attained the rank of senin, the Konoha noble surveyed those present with a sneer. Other notables included the chief medical nin, a close aide to the Hokage, as well as the usual collection of special jounins.

"Ah, Neji", hissed the Hokage, clearly displeased. "So nice of you to finally decide on turning up"

"Gomen Hokage-sama, I was... held up at the door", Neji replied, bowing to the robed figure. Turning, he gave another (though considerably shorter) bow to Hisashi – him being Neji's direct superior from the Main house. Even so, Neji performed his bow with curt efficiency. Hisashi might think that he has pre-destined power over Neji, but Neji would rather die than believe that. Ignoring the annoyed narrowing of Hisashi's eyes, Neji walked towards the back of the room and sat down, away from the main congregation.

"I'll keep this short, since time is of the essence in this mission" the Hokage intoned, once the murmuring resulting from Neji's arrival had died down. "Our anbu teams have finally located what we believe to be the base of operations for the rebels who have long sought to wreck anarchy on our great village. As this map shows, the rebels have been hiding in the bowels of the village, in the lower levels near the foundation pillars. Since the area has been sealed off for the last 5 years since the Ascent, they have been undetected thus far. Your mission is to go into the area and assassinate their leader, whose face I am sure you are all well acquainted with. However, beware since the area is on actual ground level and contains the ruins of the old village – what you see there might bewilder and disorientate you. The mission commences tonight, and Konoha wishes you luck in bringing stability to our village."

Conversation erupted across the room as Hisashi began to organize the 11 jounins present into teams of three. Neji felt the familiar rush which came before battle – finally he thought, lips twisting into his characteristic sardonic smirk, a true test of my ability. He glared at wanted poster of the rebellion leader which had been hung on the main wall ever since the rebels had begun their insurgency. It was the face which every citizen of Konoha had been taught to hate and despise. It was the face which every now and then, tried to swindle disillusioned ninjas to his unworthy cause. It was the face which threatened everything the village stood for, a traitor who turned his back on the village which made him.

Neji stared at the face of Nara Shikamaru, wanted S-class criminal and leader of the rebellion. The man he was going to kill tonight.

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Dun dun duh!

More intruige! Hoped you enjoyed it... please review.


	3. Chapter two

To be honest, i can't say i'm terribly happy with this chapter - rather heavy on the setting wouldn't you say? Drop a review or two telling me whats wrong. Big thanks as always to the person who patiently read through this convoluted stuff twice.

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Fraudulent Realities

Chapter 2

The meeting was winding down. Given that the operation was starting off at rest hour (timing now dictated by an artificial schedule as oppose to the sun), Hisashi was quick to assign the jounin teams and explain the procedure of the mission. They were to enter the sub levels from separate points and surround the rebel out post. Once the strike team had given the signal, the other teams were to give support and provide cover whilst the strike team went in for the kill. A simple task, mused Neji as he gazed towards the ceiling, the mundane chatter of the other jounins simply washing over him. Absently mindedly, he began tracing the flight path of a fly doing loops just below the ceiling wondering what it was like to be able to move so freely. The air being fresh and breezing past you, under your wings, invigorating your spirit – like the birds in his dream. Neji even had trouble thinking up that concept, since birds, fresh air, and a blue sky were luxuries he had not been able to enjoy in a long while. Ever since the war commenced, the Hokage had deemed foreign mission to be too dangerous and only allowed a select group of ninjas to leave the village. The naturally withdrawn Neji never stood out in the Hokage's books and hence Neji had to bear with simply being in the village. Not that there was nothing to do – the Hokage provided bountiful amounts of entertainment and leisure for his villagers, the highlight being the weekly arena matches. Still, it was at times like this where Neji found himself wondering what shade of blue the sky would truly be...

But of course, work came first. Neji cast one last, lingering glance at the fly which was now flying out the window into purplish sky, and got up to leave. The meeting had formally ended and now, the teams were to head to the armory for equipment. The air, as always, smelt almost electrical, highly charged remnants of the energy from the chakra shield. It left an oily aftertaste on the tongue.

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The fly in question soared out of the window, its buzzing wings oblivious to the hustle of the village. Its compound eyes glanced blindly at the training fields where even at such a late our, the latest batch of Konoha's youth were being turned into the perfect soldier. The sounds of the public dispatch units, reporting the latest victories in the war fell on deaf ears as the fly buzzed on unnervingly to its destination. As much as such scenes shocked and appalled Neji, the fly had seen it all too many times. A quick turn and the fly entered a sewage grating. Here, its senses seem to pick up, since a false turn in the almost endless tunnels under Konoha almost ensured that one would get hopelessly lost. The fly knew some of the facilities that the Hokage beneath the unknowing public, but it also knew that the true extent of these underground operations could only be hinted at. Unlink its other excursions into these tunnels however, the fly flew today with purpose and avoided the multitude of detours. Here, it was almost pitched black, with only a faint purple glow from the ever present chakra shield, somehow penetrating even to such darkened depths.

Many turns later, the fly felt the oppressive weight in the stagnant air lighten up somewhat as the confines of the tunnels gave way to empty space. It now flew into a place only whispered in hushed tones amongst the populace, a place were the only light was from where the chakra dome finally met the real ground – a hazy deep purple hue, a perverse light that enshrouded more than it shed. It was a place of shadow, called "The Ashes of Konoha" by the villagers – aptly dubbed for at the very bottom lay the ruins of the old village of hidden leaf, ravaged by the battles preceding the ascent. The ceiling of this place was the vaguely circular land mass that made up the village, held up by The Pillars at points along its circumference - seven columns of rock compacted to incredibly densities by chakra. The fly did not look at these colossal pillars, but it knew that carved upon each of the 30 story pillars was one of the seven tenants of Konoha as taught by the Hokage himself. Love for Nation, Loyalty, Servitude, Peace, Security, Endurance, and the largest pillar, Destiny, all barely readable in the poor lighting. On the long spiraling descent towards the ruins of the village, the fly in its own insect mind recalled the simple lines that strung all the virtues together. A litany that was impressed upon every child that was born in Konoha.

_As the new born leaf loves its tree,_

_So are we loyal to the village._

_As the leaf which nourishes its tree,_

_So do we too serve the village._

_As the leaf that enjoys the security in its tree,_

_So do we too strive for peace._

_As the leaf that endures winters chill breath,_

_So do we endure in all things._

_And in endurance,_

_We march forth to destiny._

Such terrible a destiny, thought the owner of the fly, as the insect finally alighted on his finger after its long flight. It had descended into a dilapidated tower which had once been the seat of power in Konoha, now reduced to a decaying wreck. Nearby was once had once been a small mountain on which monuments of leaders past had stood proudly amongst azure sky. Now, those faces were smashed, horribly disfigured by the Great War which devastated the village. Gazing out at a land now forever cast in darkness, the owner of the fly bleakly took in these details for the umpteenth time. As much as the tons of rock above depressed him and as much as the accursed chakra shield dampened his spirit, it was the darkness in his mind which truly troubled him. A growing sense of hopelessness even now clutched at his heart. Turning to his companion, Aburame Shino gestured out into the purple-tinged darkness.

"They are coming for you. They have Huuygas leading them so I suggest we relocated before they reach here. There is still time." His voice sounded hollow. His resolve was fast approaching there. And his heart – he wondered bitterly if it too was as empty as the air around him. His companion glanced over, and at a glance knew that the long struggle was taking its toll on the normally composed Shino. A small grin appeared on his lips as he though of his reply.

"Ah, they are so... troublesome" muttered Nara Shikamaru, words which his lips had longed missed ever since he began leading the ragged rebellion. He clasped his arms around the back of his head and gazed upward towards the sky where clouds were – well were they would be if the blasted village was 30 stories up. "Remember that time when I failed to bring back Sasuke and was trying to drown my sorrows in ramen?"

"Yes..." came the tentative reply from Shino. While he was used to the easy going candor of his leader, this sudden light hearted mood surprised him.

"Well, back then I made some silly promise, but unlike all the other meaningless promises one makes in their childhood, this one has stuck with me." Shikamaru hated recollecting, but he guess Shino needed some idiocy to laugh at. "Guess what it was."

"You swore that no matter how bad the odds, you would preserver and perform flawlessly." Shino replied, comprehension beginning to dawn upon him. "So are you going to nag about how everyone else should be as determined and strive for flawlessness?" Mused Shino – Shikamaru certainly had changed from back then.

"Actually, I swore never to eat that crappy yellow stuff. And here I am stuck with ramen as the only food left to eat."

Shino broke into a rare smile. Ever since the rebellion began, food had been scarce, and now they lived on a huge cache of ramen which they had found in the ruins of the apartment of an old friend. Shikamaru's distaste for ramen was renowned – his grumbling complaints accompanied almost every meal.

"I'm sorry Shika. I was wrong to given in to despair." Sharing in the calm resolve of Shikamaru, Shino gazed out at the ruined village no long in hopelessness, but with steady conviction. His voice reverted back to its steady tone, a far cry from the panicked scratchiness of a few moments ago. If there was one thing he agree with that silly litany of Konoha's virtues, it was what Shikamaru – of all people – embodied even in times like this. _Endurance in all things_

"Nah it's perfectly alright – After all," Shikamaru cocked his head slightly towards the nearest of the seven pillars, which towered above the tower. He gave a sardonic smile of his own. "We are in the shadow of Destiny."

The laughter they shared, a tiny speck of warmth in the cold ashes of Konoha. And after a while, it too was gone, as the two friends awaited for the upcoming assault.

As always... read and review!


	4. Chapter three

Hello... If you felt that this took too long, well do'tn worry because it is extra long to make up for the delay. Big thanks to the usual assortment of friends and sesame street characteres that helped to read this and offer comments during the writing process. Also thanks for all the reviews - they are a nice vote of confidence. Now to answer some questions...

**Shino Fan**: Yep, i love dystopian novels. This fic is largely inspired by 1984, Brave New World and A Clockwork Orange. Highly recommended books for those who are interested.

**Angelz3x**: Thanks for reviewing... i'd remember my promise to be trashed by you in soul calibur.

**LishaVilla**: Sadly, i never really planned for much romance in this, but if you read this chapter, you'll see that i've tried to wrok in some hints. Hope you enjoy it.

And for those who are wondering what is the Ascent or where is Naruto... well you'll just have to read to find out.

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**Fraudulent Realities **

Chapter 3

The three shadows within shadows raced through what had once been bustling streets, leaving spiraling dust trails and the ghosts of memory in their wake. Though the world around them remained in purple tinged darkness, they saw everything in stark white clarity. Three pairs of white pupils – tiny pools drinking in the sea of darkness around them, taking in everything. Of the three pairs, two gazed forward with the cold determination of killers. The last one, though on the surface was as devoid of emotion as its colleagues, was but a false lens that masked turmoil of hatred, bitterness and confusion.

Neji blinked uncomfortably behind his mask. As the team came to a halt at the attack position, Neji adjust his Anbu face plate, wondering yet again why he was wearing it. _Masks masking masks_, he mused bitterly. Crouching in the darkness, he signaled his readiness. As part of the strike team, Neji knew that things were liable to become extremely complicated – stray thoughts on one's mind was what got you killed. Still, even as he attempted to clear his mind, annoyance flared up at his assignment to the strike team. Hyuuga Hiashi and Hyuuga Hinabi, the two most influential ninjas of the main house, signaled their own readiness to Neji, their teammate. To be paired up with the two nins who embodied everything he hated about the main house – their exclusiveness, their prudish behavior, and their sheer arrogance – surely the god who threw his dice just made a very bad roll.

Still, it is logical, said a small voice in the recesses of his mind. A team of buyakugan users would most surely be able to kill off the traitor, Nara Shiakmaru. Neji's own eyes peeled back the darkness with ease, and already he could detect chakra sources nearby – their prey. He settled on going through the mission details, hoping that such metal activity would finally douse his growing annoyance. Now they would wait for the other teams to get into position, completely surrounding the rebel base. Once the allocated time of 300 counts has elapsed, they would proceed slowly towards the base and once Shikamaru had been spotted, Hiashi would activate the signal, springing the trap – a simple task. For now, Neji and his team hunkered down in their position – a large street outside what had must once have been a flower shop, judging from the sign. Hinabi silently counted down the time.

Suddenly, Neji tensed up as he sensed three figures approaching, his Buyakugan easily picking up their moving forms in the darkness. The three made no attempt at stealth, a hopeful sign that Neji and his team were thus far unnoticed. Signaling to Hiashi and Hinabi, Neji quickly drew attention to the approaching trio.

_We must kill them before they alert the others, _Neji gestured whilst readying himself. His hand grasped at several senbon needles, his weapons of choice. As he discovered in his own personal training, they complemented his buyakugan, allowing him to close tenketsu points from a much greater effective range.

_No! We remain hidden. The plan must be followed!_ Hiashi's emphatic reply annoyed him. Can the man not see that their position was moments away from being discovered?

Against the almost ominous silence of the ruined village, Neji again tried to bring his superior to senses. _We WILL be discovered Hiashi-sama, and the plan will fail. We must act now._ Neji used swift and short movements to convey his message, hoping that such severity would show Hiashi the impending threat.

The eyes of the Hyuuga leader beneath his mask immediately dashed whatever hopes Neji had for him ordering an ambush. They bled azure anger and annoyance. _Do not suppose to usurp my command branch house member_ Hiashi's hand movements were wild and seething. _Perhaps you need a reminder of your place and your destiny. _His hands moved into a hand seal that was all too familiar. Neji, gasped – surely the fool would not do that here!

He watched in horror as Hiashi's hand moved into position, almost in painstaking slow motion as Neji braced himself for the blinding pain that he knew would follow.

Pain did not come. Instead, a voice rang out shattering the oppressive silence. The trio of ninjas had just discovered them.

"Ninpou Kamaitach!"

Their position was immediately assaulted by a huge gale of wind, causing stray bits of rubble to lacerate the skin and dust to rise in huge clouds. Neji immediately doddered to the left, gathering chakra to his feet and leaping on top the rubble of the old flower shop. In the corner of his vision, he saw Hiashi execute a leap of his own. He winched as he saw Hinabi's face locked in an expression of utter shock before the gust of wind barreled straight into her, smashing her against a pile of rubble. Neji had expected that Hinabi's ability would be insufficient, she being fresh out of the academy, but seeing the supposed invincible heir of the main house so easily swatted away – he could not help but wonder why Hiashi brought her along. Probably to curry favor with the Hokage.

"You can stop your senseless arm waving now. We know where you are." That same voice was tinged with contempt. Through the clouds of dust that had been stirred up, Neji saw three figures now blocking the street, his Buyakugan easily drinking up their details. The lead woman stood commandingly in the middle of the road, legs slightly apart in a position that offered ample defense and attack opportunities – certainly an experienced ninja. Dressed in a white outfit over ninja netting, a forehead protector bearing the insignia of Hidden Sand rested prominently around her neck. The thing that immediately caught Neji's attention was a dark red sash tied to her waist – for some reason, he was immediately reminded of Anbu Commander Gaara, who wore a similar slash, albeit white in color. The source of the wind attack was held deftly behind her, a large fan bearing three purple dots, framing her lithe form in a deft pose of cockiness tinged with feminine power and grace.

As he landed, Neji was about to launch his senbon needles in her direction when he suddenly caught sight of her face. Framed by spiky blond hair, it bore a pair of piercing eyes and a mouth now twisted into a smile of amusement. He had seen her before – in that dream. There was no mistaking that cocky smile and spiky hair. Unnerved, Neji took a second look at her companions, and realized to his growing bewilderment that he had seen them before as well. There was no mistaking the platinum blond tresses of the other woman as well as the cool calm demure of the man. He wore a pair of sunglasses which Neji assumed, from the chakra surging within them, to be some sort of light amplification device – the other teams wore similar implements.

"Hiashi-sama, be careful... there's something about these ninjas that doesn't seem quite right" Neji knew that verbal communication was forbidden on missions, but he couldn't help given the growing sense of doubt that unsettled him. As expected, the head of the Hyuuga clan merely gave Neji yet another glance of fury, indicating that once the mission was over, heads (most possibly his) would roll. Signaling for Neji to attack immediately, Hiashi leap forward hoping to buy time for Hinabi to recover – the enemy had to be silenced as soon as possible before reinforcements were called for. Bottling his confusion for now, Neji followed suit.

Watching the two Hyuugas descending upon them, eyes ablaze with argent fury and fists bleeding blue latent energy, Temari barely batted an eyelid. In the distance she could see the now recovered Hinabi also charging forward. She was about to launch another devastating wind attack when Shino intoned one final reminded.

"Remember the plan Temari, Ino. The hasty Kunai is best left un-thrown." The cocky expression gave way to one of grim determination. Beside her, Ino nodded wordlessly. With that, Shino and Temari leap forward to take on Neji and Hinabi respectively, leaving Ino with the most crucial part of the plan, holding off Hyuuga Hiashi.

As she sailed through the air, Temari knew that her opponent was by way the most inexperienced – a flaw that she would use to her advantage. Landing directly in the path of Hinabi's charge, she folded her fan at the last second, using the wooden frame to block the jyuuken assault that would blot out her chakra points. Blue chakra flared visibly as it dissipated against the cold wood of the fan. The masked figure before her immediately leaps back, a hail storm of shurikens flaring out from her in mid-flight. Grinning to herself, Temari unfolded the fan and flared it out in one smooth motion – deflecting the shurikens and sending them spinning back towards their owner. A series of sickening thuds rang out as the embedded themselves into Hinabi – who disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"Kawarimi..." She managed to gasp before her senses picked up a chakra signature right behind her. Spinning around, she realized that the enemy had purposely forced her to unfold her fan, and now she could not block the incoming jyuuken attack. Well, an inner voice berated – that's what you get for being sloppy. As she completed her turn, she could see the out-stretched fist of the opponent closing in on her arms, presumable to shut down the all important tenketsu points there. With no time to pull of Kawarimi of her own, Temari dodged backwards, purposely exposing her sides - where the chakra points did not contribute much to her wind attacks - and braced herself for pain. Still despite her mental gritting of teeth, nothing could have prepared her for the searing lightning bolt that torn through her body – through the haze of pain; she already noticed her normally taunt abdominal muscles were now completely unresponsive, throwing off her balance. Temari landed in a shower of debri.

Shino swore silently as he saw Temari fell. His own battle was faring poorly as already he bore several senbon needles mere millimeters away from critical zones – he knew that he could not doge Neji's attacks for much longer. And his sudden shift of attention proved disastrous as Neji deftly slipped past his defenses, and planted a solid hit to his chest, sending Shino crashing into the ruins of a nearby house. Struggling to stand up, Shino glanced hurriedly around for the Hyuuga who suddenly had disappeared. His location was soon revealed however, as a voice from behind him whispered words that spelt Shino's impending defeat.

"You are within the range of my divination"

* * *

Wu Ming studied his surroundings with boredom. The surrounding area was tinged green as his chakra goggles built in to his mask illuminated the darkness. His team was heading towards their ready position, where they would await the signal to attack. His fingers twitched in anticipation as he imagined killing off rebel scum by the dozen, their blood being shed for the treacherous deeds they had committed against his village. 

A low whistling noise suddenly caused him and his subordinates to leap for cover. Scant seconds later, their previous positions were showered with kunais. Tensing up, Wu Ming immediately signaled for his team to rush to their ready point. The plan must be followed – they could always defend themselves from their ready position since he had been briefed that it was a junction between two streets, besides what had once been a mobile eatery – plenty of cover. His ninjas were good and well trained – feet padded silently on gravel as they made a dash for the ready point, dodging as kunais and shurikens constantly peppered their advance. As they rounded the corner, Wu Ming suddenly bumped into the team mate that had been taking point. A few hurried gestures revealed that a chakra string had been laid across the street, obviously to catch them unaware as they sped round the corner.

Wu Ming spat a curse – such amateur tricks would not work on Jounins of Konoha. Ordering for his point man to check for a second, hidden string, Wu Ming and the other team member assumed defensive positions to deflect yet another series of throwing weapons. The search for a second hidden string came up negative – feeding Wu Ming's growing contempt for their pursuer. Whoever it was, he certainly didn't know how to lay traps properly. Carefully leaping over the string, his team moved forward towards their position. Again the kunais whistled by, this time Wu Ming fancied a sense of frustration about them, as a cat would become annoyed should the mouse continue to evade it. Well, Wu Ming though as a sadistic smile grew beneath his Anbu mask – aptly shaped in the likeness of a mouse, we shall see who hunts who.

He was jarred out of his thoughts as again, his point man brought the team to a halt, stopped by yet another chakra string – the cat certainly was persistent. Persistent, thought Wu Ming, but still stupid, as yet again, the cat had failed to think of placing another string. These rebels certainly were not very bright. Using the massive pillar of Destiny in the distance as his bearing, Wu Ming knew that they were not far from their ready point. Once there, they could lure out the inapt cat that hunted them. Kunais buried themselves in the space where his head was moments ago.

The team sped down the deserted streets, and as a true testament to the cat's persistence, they were constantly being attacked with increasing accuracy. That his team could continuously dodge the assaults and only sustaining minor wounds, was a testament to their skill. At every corner they turned, they were met by the familiar sight of a single chakra string across the ground, failing miserably to be inconspicuous. Finally, they rounded the final corner, and saw their destination in plan sight, blocked only by one insignificant chakra string. Wu Ming relished the moment as he returned fire. Judging from the flight paths of the missiles, He threw a single kunai in the darkness, and was rewarded with a short, feminine gasp of surprise. A shadow detached itself from the top of a building, and fell into the open junction ahead. It staggered as it attempted to flee – Wu Ming's shot had obviously hit a critical point.

Grinning again, Wu Ming ordered his team forward to finish her off. The point man carefully indicated where the last chakra string lay, and Wu Ming began to step forward when suddenly, his team mates pulled him back. Confused, he was about to demand what was happening when his point man silently pointed out a second chakra string, glimmering faintly at ground level. Picking himself up, he saw the retreating figure in the junction ahead slump, obviously knowing that its final bit to kill them had failed.

"Hah! You must have thought you had us woman. Purposely getting us frustrated with your sloppy traps and attacks, you guessed that we would overlook the second string that you planted." Wu Ming knew that speaking was beyond mission regulations, but he didn't' care. His previous carelessness simply intensified the annoyance he felt towards the enemy. His teammates also prepared themselves for attack – they too had enough of the woman's hit and run tactics. "A sloppy plan, and one that would never trick us Jounins of Konoha! Attack!"

Wu Ming's point man was the first to leap forward, and the ninja felt a slight tugging at his chest as he leap over both the chakra stings. In horror, Wu Ming watched as his team mate triggered the third chakra string, which had been planted at chest level – something that all of them had missed. The entire scene reeled out in slow motion as with one hand, he pushed his other team mate back, and reached out hoping to save the point man.

Wu Ming's fingers grasped the back of his team mate's vest...

Even as his team mate's momentum carried him forward...

The chakra string resisted for a fraction of second before finally breaking...

Triggering the trap that they had thus far avoided...

Causing a shower of red blood as a flurry of shurikens embedded themselves in the unfortunate ninja...

Wu Ming recoiled as he felt warm red blood splash onto him.

In the junction ahead, Ten-Ten straightened herself and smiled grimly. With her left hand, she discarded Wu Ming's kunai, which she had easily caught. Mice always imagined themselves smarter than the cat.

* * *

In another part of this shadowy place, a smaller shadow detached it self from a much larger one. Shikamaru poked his head nonchalantly out of the wall of once had once been the ninja academy. His pursuers rushed past him, completely oblivious to his hiding place. Already he had managed to kill one off with his Kage Kubi Shirbari no Jutsu before being forced to retreat back into the shadows as the other two ninjas became more alert and gave chase. Right now, they were in hot pursuit of one of his shadows through the empty street – the darkness around him gave Shika a multitude of ways to twist and bend his deadly shadow. His senses pricked as the two enemy ninjas entered the court yard of the old ninja academy, bringing them right into his carefully planned trap. The need to end this quickly grew all the more pressing since Shika knew that he lacked the chakra to sustain the jutsu that enabled him to become one with the shadows. The ninjas skidded to a halt in the middle of the courtyard, scanning the surround for their quarry. Pretty soon they were going to realize that Shika had just sent them on a wild goose chase – he had to act now. 

"Kageshibari no Jutsu!"

As one, shadows moved within shadows, descending from the academy building itself, speeding out from beneath Shika's feet as he stepped into the open and shooting forth in wild arcs from what had once been a tree, which even now Shika could not help but remember more innocent childhood moments on the swing there. Remembering the swing's most frequent occupant, he gave a nod in the direction of the now leafless tree. This one is for you Naruto.

The enemy tried to dodge, but their attempts at evasion landed their feet directly into secondary streams of shadow which Shika had positioned precisely for that purpose. He had them, and his hands moved in a flurry of hand seals to kill.

"Kage Kubi Shirbari no Jutsu!"

Urged forth by Shika's chakra, unseen hands began to creep up the bodies of the struggling ninjas – reaching for their necks. Looks like there's no need for the back up plan, thought Shika. That would have been troublesome.

A sudden flare of chakra nearly threw Shika off his feet as the enemy ninjas violently broke out the shadow bind. Now more than slightly annoyed, Shika cursed – the power of his shadow was too weak now that they were ready for his attacks. True enough, the lead ninja began to laugh loudly, a hollow mocking sound that echoed across the empty court yard.

"Nara Shikamaru, traitor to Konoha, you will not be able to defeat us with such a weak jutsu. A shadow is only as intense as the lighting which casts it. The lighting here is so bad that your infamous shadows are but a shadow of their true powers!" More mocking laughter at his lame pun. These ninjas are as loud as they are stupid, Shika sighed – however it was true that the purple glow of the shield limited his shadow skills terribly. Things now became terribly troublesome, and Shika prayed silently that Shino would be on time.

Dodging a rain of kunais and shurikens, Shika prepared to defend himself.

* * *

Kiba sniffed at the air in search of their attacker. His team had been in position for some time when an unseen attacker had suddenly burst into their midst, landing a series of hits on both his teammates. Whoever the attacker was, he fought in the style favored by the Hyuugas – more than once the projectiles of his team had been deflected by a timely Kaiten. Strangely though, his team mates did not feel any problems channeling their chakra, a sign that whoever attacking them lacked the mastery over jyuuken possessed by Neji-sama. Kiba almost felt disappointed at this though – he, favored commander of the Hokage, had been reassigned from his post at the frontlines of the battle against Mist to fight such paltry opponents. He wouldn't even need to use his special seal for this one, already the enemy seemed to be unable to handle his Gijyuu Nipou, Shikyaku no Jutsu. Sensing chakra signatures to his left, Kiba quickly sprung an attack. 

"Gijyuu Nipou, Jyuujin Bunshin!" Akamaru, now fully grown, leapt with amazing dexterity for its size. Gulping down the soldier pill which Kiba tossed, it transformed into a replica of Kiba. Barely had the transformation taken place, he and Akamaru were already dashing towards the source of the chakra signature. With practiced ease, both of them entered the series of moves that were the Gatsuuga – Kiba had enough of playing with his attacker. The twin cyclones of man and beast barreled through several old houses completely unfazed, sending debri spinning wildly in all directions. His teammates could barely keep up with his destructive path.

Kiba grinned as he felt himself score a glancing blow against soft flesh, the warm spray of blood contrasting sharply with the cold hard stones of the walls he had demolished. Perhaps his opponent wasn't that weak at all – after all, he had still managed to survive his most devastating attack. Still, the out come was certain, Kiba thought, I will win.

A sudden strike to his leg immediately told him that his opponent took adversely to that conclusion. Although it had merely been a hurried counter attack, the force behind the blow sowed the beginnings of doubt in Kiba's mind – he had been under estimating the enemy. Still he as puzzled to not experience the stinging pain that a jyuuken attack would cause – in fact he almost felt as if chakra flow in him limb was easier. He rolled out of his attack, his mask smashing itself against a particularly sharp piece of rock. No matter, he navigated better by smell anyway. A short bark from Akamaru signaled that it too had suffered the strange attack from the enemy ninja. Leaping quickly to his feet, he smelt the enemy to his right, the coppery smell of blood thick about him. From the ragged breaths, Kiba knew that his adversary was having a hard time getting up. Signaling in the general direction of his team mates, he motioned for them to finish the battle. A nagging sixth sense told him something was not quite right, and he figured that it was best to end this quickly least reinforcements for the enemy turned up. The hands of his team mates swished loudly as they performed the hand seals for the signature move of Konoha.

"Katon Housenka no Jutsu!" Carefully shielding their eyes least the fireballs blinded their chakra enhanced vision; Kiba's teammates let loose a barrage of fireballs turning purple darkness into red orange fury. As their eys grew accustomed to the new light, they began shooting fire balls after their enemy, who was trying his best to dodge the flaming projectiles. The enter area was became a conflagration as the old wooden buildings where blasted by the fire attacks.

Amidst this inferno, Kiba's sixth sense continued to nag at him, suddenly making him remember some information the Hokage had personally told him about the fighting style of Jyuuken. He recalled that a jyuuken master could control the opponent's chakra flow by either closing down or opening tenketsu points. He remember laughing at the latter procedure at that time – why would anyone want to help their opponents channel chakra by opening points for them? Unless...

"Stop!" Kiba cried out hoarsely towards his teammates performing their jutsus. Suddenly, everything clicked into place for Kiba - why they Jyuuken attacks had no effects, why his leg actually felt better after being hit. However it was too late, and Kiba gasped as his teammates erupted in flames, their chakra points completely overloaded after being forcefully opened.

"So, you are more intelligent that your unfortunate underlings, jounin of Konoha." The voice that addressed him was definitely female and it pronounced his rank with an audible sneer. "Tell your false Hokage that what his has stolen from us will soon be returned to its rightful owner, and the village of the leaf will not be so easily defeated!"

Kiba tried his best to ignore the taunting voice as he ordered Akamaru to hold still. Any false channeling of chakra would be fatal now, especially since many of his moves relied heavily on his legs. A tentative attempt sent tendrils of pain through his system and warning lights flashing in his brain. Akamaru could not be in any better a state. Fighting down panic with all his experience on the battle field, Kiba struggled to regain control over the afflicted tenketsu points, even as the female ninja leap forward, a face briefly illuminated by the burning ruins - he spied purple hair and white eyes that were strangely familiar. The seething, argent anger of those eyes were now framed by the fiery inferno in the background as she easily lifted him up by his clothing. Though his body continued to struggle furiously, his mind already was preparing himself for that final blow.

Which never came. Kiba was shocked to find the hand that held him waver, and was even more taken aback when a voice tentatively cried out his name.

"Ki...Kiba-kun?"

* * *

Catch more bad cliff hangers on the next chapter.... 

Drop a review to complain.


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